Check Out Our Sweetest New Product Yet: NatureSweet Dulce Italiano Sweet Peppers!

btn learn more
wildtextures seamless square pattern paper texture
NatureSweet
  • Products
  • Promotions
  • Recipes
  • Find a store
  • Content Hub
MENU CLOSE
Mobile Menu
  • Products
  • Promotions
  • Recipes
  • Find a store
  • Content Hub
  • About Us
  • Our growing story
  • Our Standards
  • Our Associates
line bckgnd
wildtextures seamless square pattern paper texture
  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Login
  • Join our team
  • Faq
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Content Hub: Health

By Ana Reisdorf | Aug 02, 2021

What is a Gluten Free Diet?

Learn more about how to achieve a gluten-free diet in your day-to-day food choices.

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. A gluten-free diet eliminates foods that are made with wheat, flour, rye, barley, or bran.

This may include:

  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Beer
  • Breakfast cereal
  • Pies
  • Crackers
  • Cake
  • Pasta

Gluten is also frequently used as a filler or thickener, therefore those following a gluten-free diet must closely read labels. Words like cracked wheat, wheat flour, barley, semolina, durum, spelt, farro, kamut, malt, or triticale- all mean the food contains gluten.

Understanding what grains are considered gluten-free, or not, is essential to understanding what carb sources you should include in your diet.

Other grains, like rice, corn, tapioca, or quinoa and products made from these grains are allowed. A gluten-free diet is also not a low carbohydrate diet. Healthy carb sources should be included to ensure the diet is adequate in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. When following a gluten-free diet, you may also want to take a multivitamin to provide additional iron, folic acid, and B-vitamins, which may be missing.

Why Follow a Gluten-Free Diet?

A gluten-free diet used to be primarily recommended for people with Celiac’s disease, an autoimmune disease triggered by a reaction to consuming gluten. Eating gluten can result in severe digestive problems that lead to weight loss and malnutrition. Those with Celiac must strictly avoid gluten-containing foods forever.1

But, following a gluten free diet has gained significant popularity over the last few years, due to emerging research that people may be sensitive to the effects of gluten. Some feel that gluten triggers an increase in anxiety, digestive discomfort, or inflammation. There is also some evidence that gluten may trigger or worsen the symptoms of other autoimmune diseases.2,3,4

Tips for Success

With the popularity of the gluten-free diet it has become easier to find gluten-free alternatives to popular foods like bread or pasta. These items can be easily made with rice, tapioca, or quinoa. Most grocery stores now carry gluten-free options.

The challenging part of following a gluten-free diet is being aware of “hidden” gluten. This is particularly critical for those who have severe Celiac’s disease as their illness can be triggered by a minimal exposure to gluten.

A few sources of “hidden” gluten to be aware of include:

  • Processed meats
  • Salad dressing
  • Sausage
  • Marinades
  • Soy sauce
  • Bouillon
  • Meat substitutes
  • Gravy or cream-based soups
  • Breaded/fried foods
  • Cosmetics and medications
  • Canned foods

Many restaurants are aware of people’s dietary restrictions and will provide a gluten-free menu upon request. If that is not available, always be sure to ask lots of questions and tell the waiter about your dietary restrictions.

One thing to realize about eating out is that not all restaurants are aware of cross contamination for gluten-sensitive individuals. For example, they may use the same knife or cutting board to cut both gluten-free and gluten-containing bread. This is likely not a significant problem for most people following a gluten-free diet, but if you have Celiac or severe health problems, a tiny amount of gluten can trigger a reaction. If you eat out a lot and are not getting better, it could be due to cross-contamination.

Following a gluten-free diet may be required to manage Celiac disease or autoimmune conditions. For those who think they are sensitive to gluten, eliminating gluten-containing foods for 30 days may help you identify if it is the true cause of your symptoms.

References
  1. Fasano A, Catassi C. Clinical practice. Celiac disease. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(25):2419-2426.
  2. Cosnes J, Cellier C, Viola S, et al. Incidence of autoimmune diseases in celiac disease: protective effect of the gluten-free diet. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008;6(7):753-758.
  3. Soares FLP, de Oliveira Matoso R, Teixeira LG, et al. Gluten-free diet reduces adiposity, inflammation and insulin resistance associated with the induction of PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma expression. J Nutr Biochem. 2013;24(6):1105-1111.
  4. Fasano A, Sapone A, Zevallos V, Schuppan D. Nonceliac gluten sensitivity. Gastroenterology. 2015;148(6):1195-1204.
About the Author

Ana Reisdorf

Ana Reisdorf is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with 14 years of experience in the field of nutrition and dietetics.Ana has also published three cookbooks. She is the founder of a content agency made up entirely of registered dietitians called Reisdorf Writing Service. Her team of expert content creators are focused on creating evidence-based content for health and wellness brands. 

To learn more, visit Ana’s website: www.anareisdorf.com.

More on Health
Share To

Recent Posts

About Us

NatureSweet Announces Joint Venture with Ganfer: October 2021

NatureSweet will speed up current operations with a new joint venture with Ganfer. Watch to learn more!  

Continue Reading
Health

How to Effortlessly Cut Calories for Weight Loss

To lose weight, you have to cut back on how many calories you are eating. But, the process of cutting...

Continue Reading
Health

5 Steps to Build a Nutritious and Delicious Salad

Many people hesitate to eat salads regularly because of the idea that they have to look or taste a certain...

Continue Reading

NatureSweet

2338 N Loop 1604 W #200
San Antonio, TX USA 78248

800-315-8209

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • InstagramInstagram
  • YouTube

Quick links

  • Contact us
  • Press Room
  • Join our team
  • FAQ

Newsletter Sign up here to receive emails.

  • Privacy
  • Terms
© 2021 NatureSweet Tomatoes

Newsletter Sign up here to receive emails.

  • Privacy
  • Terms
© 2021 NatureSweet Tomatoes

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!